I am surprised we have not had more discussion on the hypothesis that
beekeepers are maintaining hive numbers by constant splitting.  I don't
know about the rest of you but when I have a 30% loss and need to split I
find it is a real pain.  Having to pump up survivor hives, clean and
disinfect dead-outs, scrape and re-assemble woodenware, graft extra cells,
and baby along nucs is a lot of work.  My focus is on honey and if I split
I almost always lose honey yields.  If someone is making up 30% of their
hives every year then they are dealing with 30% dead-outs on the back-end,
with all that entails:  constant checking for dead-outs to prevent hive
beetle and wax moth slime and web-fests, plus the fact that if a hive dies
it is robbed out by the good ones and the contagion is spread..  I drop all
of my dead-outs in a freezer for 24 hours before sorting comb and putting
it back on a strong hive, IF I catch them in time.  The result is constant
vigilance.  No more 3 weeks away from the bees because of other
business....., plus those wierd dead-outs with sealed brood left behind
(PMS?) that look like AFB but don't rope or have obvious scale - I am
always wondering what they really are and if I should even try to clean
them up and re-use the combs.

One beekeeper wrote in to say he cages queens to force a brood brood
break.  Is anyone else experimenting with a summer brood break?  I wonder
if it would be worth while to go through and just de-queen everything in
the summer?  Thoughts?
Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC

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